Higgins taking relaxed approach to uncertain future

Many are wondering whether Chris Higgins can remain in the NHL next season – but he isn’t.

The Vancouver Canucks winger adopted a let-things-be approach Monday after a season in which he battled injuries and a demotion to the minors.

“I’m not worried about this (season) being a wake-up call or really dwelling on anything,” said Higgins as Canuck players cleaned out their lockers after missing the playoffs. “It’s a good time of year. I’ll take some time off and relax. That’s what I’ll take it as.”

Higgins was recalled to the injury-riddled Canucks from Utica of the AHL in late March after he revived his game and the Canucks needed bodies as a result of several injuries. Both the demotion and promotion were unexpected, considering that Higgins had been a staple of the Canucks core since arriving in a trade from the Florida Panthers during Vancouver’s Stanley Cup final run in 2011.

“I believed I had a really good summer and I had a good camp, and then I got injured,” said Higgins. “(The injury) took its toll, physically as well as mentally, just because I trained so hard over the summer. Then I was playing catch-up the rest of the season. Obviously, it was disappointing to get sent down to Utica. But, as most people know, I had a lot of fun playing down there. It was a great group of guys. I was surprised to get the call back up here, but it’s certainly been nice to be part of this team again and spend time with my family.”

Higgins, who missed the last four games of Vancouver’s season with a reported knee injury, has a year remaining on his contract, but it appears the Canucks will attempt to buy him out after trade attempts  were unsuccessful. However, the 32-year-old Smithtown, N.Y., native, who recorded three goals and one assist in 33 with the Canucks this season, is confident that he can still compete in the NHL.

“For sure, I still believe in myself,” said Higgins.

Canucks showing signs of improved health

The Vancouver Canucks have endured injuries to key players for several weeks, but they are about to get some reinforcements.
Centre Brad Richardson, winger Chris Higgins and defencemen Kevin Bieksa and Yannick Weber could return for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I can’t confirm that they’ll be in the lineup, but I think they’re real close, and I think we just have to make a choice,” said coach Willie Desjardins. “I don’t think they’re 100 per cent (healthy), but this time of year a lot of guys aren’t 100 per cent. We just have to make a choice on the lineup. At least they’re healthy enough that they’re into that discussion.”
The Canucks are looking to regroup after a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. Richardson is especially eager to play after being out since Jan. 16 with a foot and ankle issue that was expected to take much less time to heal. The extended stay in sick bay frustrated both him and Desjardins.
“I tried to play in Tampa,” said Richardson. “It was two weeks later, so I took a break, and I thought I’d be back for sure after that. I just couldn’t. It was really bad and then we had to get it checked some more and it just needed time.”
Richardson will be particularly handy in third-line and penalty-killing roles.
Some soreness lingers, but he will soldier through it as the Canucks, third in the Pacific Division, seek to hold on to a playoff spot with Calgary and Los Angeles applying pressure.
“I’m going to have to fight through it, but it’s pretty good, and it has to be tested in battle and all that kind of stuff,” Richardson said. “But it’s definitely something that’s going to bother me for a little bit. I wouldn’t be coming back if I didn’t think I could. There’s no point coming back if you can’t play your role.”
Bieksa, one of the team’s top defencemen, is on the verge of returning after suffering a broken hand while blocking a shot Jan. 27 against Tampa Bay. His presence will shore up an injury-riddled blue-line corps and lighten the load of Alex Edler and Dan Hamhuis, who have played extended minutes.
“I’m in that range right now for a return and, like I said, I’ve been feeling good the last couple of days,” Bieksa said. “Sometimes it takes just a little push to get over that hump, and I feel like I’m right there.”
The Grimsby, Ont., native is not taking any special meaning from possibly coming back against the team that he grew up watching.
“To be honest, no,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter. It’s nice to play in Toronto. Playing against them outside is not really a big deal for me personally. It’s the time of the year, though, where points are so crucial right now. When you look at the standings, it’s just so tight.
“When you’re out (injured), you get a chance to watch a few more games (involving) other teams.
It doesn’t seem like Calgary is going to lose too many games, or not get a point in too many games, and L.A., obviously, they showed (Thursday) night that they’re going to be a top team down the stretch. So we have to get points every game we can, so I want to help out as much as I can. … I want to be out there helping my teammates. It’s hard to sit back and watch – really hard, actually.”
Higgins is slated to return after missing three games with an undisclosed injury suffered in a practice following a win over Arizona.
“It was just a little (lower-body) strain, so it was nothing too serious,” he said. “I was hoping to get back earlier than that, but the coach gave me three games (off.)”
Higgins will be a candidate for second-line duty when he returns. Weber is close to returning after missing two games.
Higgins hopes the Canucks can show their full potential after missing several players at different times since Christmas. The Smithtown, N.Y., native and his teammates are also anxious to avoid a letdown against a struggling Toronto club that is playing out the string before wide-scale changes in the off-season.
“We can’t afford to have two or three games to get back in the groove,” Higgins said. “Guys that have been out, they need to chip in right away.”
“It doesn’t matter who (the other team) is,” said Richardson. “We just need the win.”
The Canucks have a habit of playing down to lower-level opposition. They have lost to weaker teams like Buffalo and Arizona while needing critical points to improve their post-season chances.
The Leafs shape up as another visiting club that could again steal the show in Vancouver. Richardson warned that they are desperate to win as they fight for jobs and new contracts in advance of next season.
Goaltender Eddie Lack said the Canucks should be wary, based on past performance against also-rans.
“We’ve been playing bad against teams below us in the standings, so we’ve gotta come out with lots of energy (Saturday) and get the crowd with us from the start,” said Lack.
He and captain Henrik Sedin expect the Leafs, who always draw a strong legion of fans clad in blue and white in Vancouver, to give the Canucks a jolt of emotion just by their presence at Rogers Arena.
“It’s always fun when the crowd gets into it,” said Lack. “It’ll probably be a crowd battle or something … in the stands. I was on the bench last year when we played the Leafs, but it was a great atmosphere and a fun game. So, hopefully, we’ll have a similar atmosphere (Saturday).”
Sedin said the Canucks must make sure they get off to a good start.
"The first five minutes, we've gotta come out and show we're not gonna let this one slip away, and not give Toronto any life," he said.

Canuck morning skates no longer mandatory

The Vancouver Canucks are doing away with a longstanding NHL tradition under new coach Willie Desjardins.
The Canucks morning skate on the day of a game is no longer mandatory. Before Saturday’s contest with the Calgary Flames, virtually all of Vancouver’s players stayed off the ice, with many playing a form of soccer in the hallway at Rogers Arena while other worked out elsewhere. Defenceman Dan Hamhuis, sidelined since Nov. 20 due to a groin tear, was an exception as he continued to work on his recovery on the ice.
Even goalies Ryan Miller and Eddie Lack stayed in drydock.
“The morning skates are optional,” said new coach Willie Desjardins. “(Saturday’s situation) is rare, because usually one of (the goalies) will the skate. But we always tell our guys: (Do) whatever you think will make you the best for the game.”
While morning skates are often at different times with NHL clubs, no squad has made them optional before every game. It will be interesting to see whether Desjardins maintains the current status for the rest of the season.
But in this era of fatigue management, Vancouver players were not complaining about the lack of a morning on-ice workout.
“I don’t like skating in the morning, so I like the option,” said winger Chris Higgins. “I’ve always been that way my whole career. I feel like I like to save my energy for the game, but some guys like to skate. I guess the coach is leaving it up to personal preference.”
Higgins, who returned to the Vancouver lineup after being sidelined from Thursday’s loss to Florida with the flu, prefers it that way.
“It’s been a debate for a long time in hockey, I guess, having the morning skate or not having it,” said Higgins. “I’d rather leave it up to the individual.”